Rep. Suzan DelBene: How Democrats are fighting the GOP’s attempt to rig the midterms
Eight months into the Republican-controlled White House, House of Representatives and Senate, prices are rising and people are struggling to get by. Instead of addressing this growing problem, Republicans refuse to stand up against sweeping tariffs and have given tax breaks to the wealthiest few via their “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which rips away health care from millions and jacks up energy bills. The American people have soured on their disastrous agenda, and Republicans have come to the conclusion they have no path to winning the midterms in a free and fair election.
House Republicans have consistently lagged in the polls, and Democrats have dramatically overperformed in almost every election this year. In what counts as an acknowledgement that they cannot win fair and square next year, Republicans have orchestrated a desperate plot to rig the election in advance. The biggest part of that plan is their cynical push for midcycle redistricting in Republican-governed states. But their scheme doesn’t stop there. It also includes multiple executive orders and legal maneuvers all meant to advantage Republicans, while needlessly creating chaos and uncertainty for the state and local officials who administer our elections.
Democrats did not start the rush to redraw congressional maps, and we support national reforms to ensure fair maps in all 50 states. However, we’re committed to responding in kind to GOP efforts to erase Democratic-performing districts off the map.
As for those executive orders, in one of them Trump wrongly asserts that he has total control to dictate campaign finance rules to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the independent agency that regulates campaigns. The order is the equivalent of an NFL team arguing that it has the authority to overrule the referees whenever they don’t like the calls.
Yet another executive order aims to prevent valid mail-in ballots from being counted, disenfranchising the vote of millions of Americans, including members of our military serving overseas. That same executive order would also create such onerous barriers that married women who changed their last name could be prevented from voting if they don’t have an updated passport. Republicans are laying the groundwork to throw out the legal votes of Americans in order to overturn election results they don’t like.
As part of their decades-long plan to silence voters and amplify the power of their wealthiest donors, Republicans — led by Vice President JD Vance — are pushing a lawsuit to eliminate spending limits between political parties and campaigns. If successful, they’d be sending us back to the pre-Watergate era of campaign finance, when D.C. party bosses conspired with their wealthy donors in smoke-filled rooms and spent freely with zero accountability. Nearly 25 years ago, the Supreme Court upheld limits on political party spending in coordination with campaigns, but the Republicans are now trying to rewrite the rules for their own benefit.
Republicans are even resorting to intimidation tactics. Because their grassroots support is withering across the country, House Republicans have launched a bogus investigation into ActBlue, which processes Democrats’ small-dollar donations. In a move that’s no less authoritarian, the Trump administration has targeted political opponents like Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., for prosecution for having the “audacity” to exercise her constitutional responsibility of executive oversight of a Trump detention center. The message is clear and meant to chill dissent: Challenge Trump and Republicans will weaponize the government against you.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and House Democrats are fighting back on every front, every step of the way. We refuse to let Republicans rig the system by weakening the power, and vote, of the people.
We are fighting back in courthouses, state houses and at the ballot box. We have filed lawsuits to block the aforementioned executive orders and have had some early wins in court, helping to ensure all eligible voters will be able to cast their ballot and have their vote count in 2026. We’ll soon appear before the Supreme Court to fight for a fair, independent campaign finance system that limits the unchecked influence of megadonors, politicians and special interests. At the state level, we’re seeing Democratic governors across the country counter the corrupt Republican gerrymanders, including in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers have submitted a new map to the voters that offsets Texas’ egregious gerrymander.
Amid the Republican attacks on free and fair elections, it’s important that we fight back in every possible arena. The DCCC is assembling the teams and resources to implement the most effective strategies to stop Republicans from stealing the midterms. We have the winning message, the most inspiring candidates, and we know public opinion is on our side. But, winning the majority next November will require all of this, and more. We must have a legal community and judicial system that holds the line on the rule of law. It’s essential that citizens — regardless of their party affiliation — use their voice now to insist on an election where the rules are certain, every eligible vote is counted and the outcome is determined only by the will of the American people.
Republicans are counting on their flood-the-zone strategy of intimidation and chaos to exhaust and demoralize everyone but their most loyal supporters. But fighting now for a fair midterm election is the only way we can possibly elect a Congress next year that will prioritize helping hardworking Americans get ahead and protect the rights and freedoms granted to all of us by the Constitution.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
